OUR CURRENT ISSUE: CAMP OTX HAS A NEW REQUEST FOR MORE GROUNDWATER CURRENTLY PENDING! In December, 2023, the Camp submitted applications to the Bandera County River Authority and Groundwater District (BCRAGD) requesting 1) a new public water supply well in the Lower Trinity and 2) significant increases in total permitted groundwater withdrawal from 85 acre-feet to 270 acre-feet.
The application asks to more than triple the amount of ground water the Camp would be permitted to withdraw from the aquifers.
The application states this water ‘need’ is for a planned camp expansion, to accommodate 2,000 campers per day during their 10 week Summer Camp Season, and to accommodate retreats/meetings for another 40 weeks of the year.
The Camp also requested that all water use be aggregated – meaning that once the water is withdrawn, it can be used for any purpose. This request may be a veiled attempt to secure additional groundwater to fill additional, yet-to-be-constructed man-made lakes on the new 60 acres the Camp has acquired. To quote from their application:
“Water is to be used for consumption at Camp OTX, for commercial purposes, irrigation (as needed), it will be plumbed into the PWS Water Supply maintained at Camp OTX, and may also be used to provide water to fill impoundments necessary for Camp OTX operation.”
Friends of Hondo Canyon objects to any construction of additional lakes in Hondo Canyon as Hondo Canyon does not have the aquifer resources to fill such lakes. TCEQ has already estimated that in a ‘bad year’ nearly 100% of the groundwater that is used to fill their existing lakes could be lost to evaporation. Friends of Hondo Canyon does not feel that the business decision of RR 417 to locate Camp OTX in Hondo Canyon allows them to excessively withdraw water from the aquifer.
At the July 18, 2024 BCRAGD Board meeting that considered this increased withdrawal request by RR 417, Friends of Hondo Canyon legal counsel presented a request for a Contested Case Hearing so that the merits of this large withdrawal be formally reviewed. The Board unanimously moved to schedule a preliminary hearing to determine who has legal standing to contest this groundwater withdrawal request.
AT A PRELIMINARY HEARING HELD SEPTEMBER 12, 2024, FRIENDS OF HONDO CANYON AND THE CITY OF BANDERA HAVE BEEN GRANTED STANDING TO CONTEST THE PERMIT APPLICATION. THE PROCESS HAS BEEN REFERRED TO A HEARING EXAMINER.
OUR CURRENT ISSUE: CAMP OTX HAS A NEW REQUEST FOR MORE GROUNDWATER CURRENTLY PENDING! In December, 2023, the Camp submitted applications to the Bandera County River Authority and Groundwater District (BCRAGD) requesting 1) a new public water supply well in the Lower Trinity and 2) significant increases in total permitted groundwater withdrawal from 85 acre-feet to 270 acre-feet.
The application asks to more than triple the amount of ground water the Camp would be permitted to withdraw from the aquifers.
The application states this water ‘need’ is for a planned camp expansion, to accommodate 2,000 campers per day during their 10 week Summer Camp Season, and to accommodate retreats/meetings for another 40 weeks of the year.
The Camp also requested that all water use be aggregated – meaning that once the water is withdrawn, it can be used for any purpose. This request may be a veiled attempt to secure additional groundwater to fill additional, yet-to-be-constructed man-made lakes on the new 60 acres the Camp has acquired. To quote from their application:
“Water is to be used for consumption at Camp OTX, for commercial purposes, irrigation (as needed), it will be plumbed into the PWS Water Supply maintained at Camp OTX, and may also be used to provide water to fill impoundments necessary for Camp OTX operation.”
Friends of Hondo Canyon objects to any construction of additional lakes in Hondo Canyon as Hondo Canyon does not have the aquifer resources to fill such lakes. TCEQ has already estimated that in a ‘bad year’ nearly 100% of the groundwater that is used to fill their existing lakes could be lost to evaporation. Friends of Hondo Canyon does not feel that the business decision of RR 417 to locate Camp OTX in Hondo Canyon allows them to excessively withdraw water from the aquifer.
At the July 18, 2024 BCRAGD Board meeting that considered this increased withdrawal request by RR 417, Friends of Hondo Canyon legal counsel presented a request for a Contested Case Hearing so that the merits of this large withdrawal be formally reviewed. The Board unanimously moved to schedule a preliminary hearing to determine who has legal standing to contest this groundwater withdrawal request.
AT A PRELIMINARY HEARING HELD SEPTEMBER 12, 2024, FRIENDS OF HONDO CANYON AND THE CITY OF BANDERA HAVE BEEN GRANTED STANDING TO CONTEST THE PERMIT APPLICATION. THE PROCESS HAS BEEN REFERRED TO A HEARING EXAMINER.
It is important to state that Camp OTX is our neighbor. We have asked for transparency. Friends of Hondo Canyon is not against the Camp or its mission, but we are concerned about the quality and quantity of water available in Hondo Canyon.
